Running freely on the virtual training pitch, Gao Nuo felt the wind beside him, his mind filled with the sensation of Ronaldo's matches, constantly verifying the experience he had summarized.
Before the next League match, Gao Nuo trained wholeheartedly for two days, and his attributes surprisingly increased significantly.
Gao Nuo, 19 years old.
Height 192cm, Weight 91kg
Ball Control: 13
Passing: 12
Shooting: 12
Positioning: 14
Ball Trapping: 12
Strength: 14
Stamina: 14
Speed: 17
Explosiveness: 17
Willpower: 18
Comprehension: 13
Decision Making: 14
Concentration: 17
Maximum attribute value is 20.
Just by experiencing one of Ronaldo's matches, Gao Nuo's Positioning increased by 2 points, and his Decision Making even increased by 3 points. This was only the manifestation in data; as for how much it boosted his abilities, that would need to be verified in a match.
On October 21, 2023, in the 10th round of the English Premier League, Chelsea hosted Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
The unfortunate Chelsea, after a terrible performance last season, welcomed another head coach, Pochettino, before the summer transfer window. The new coach, in conjunction with management, cleaned out and rebuilt the squad. Even after streamlining, Chelsea couldn't completely turn the situation around in the new season. The team's cohesion still needed some time. In the first 9 League rounds, they had 5 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses, temporarily ranking 6th in the standings.
Getting back to the main topic, with the fans' anticipation, the match officially began. After a brief period of probing, the pace of the game became faster and faster.
In the 14th minute of the match, Manchester United and Chelsea repeatedly completed steals in the opponent's half. After Luke Shaw completed the last counter-steal, he spotted the open space on the right, directly sent a long cross to the far post. Neymar and the goalkeeper contended for the first touch. Before the goalkeeper could punch the ball, Neymar used an overhead kick to send the ball towards the goal. Gao Nuo, standing in front of the goal, used his chest to tap the ball into the empty net, giving Manchester United a one-goal lead.
In the 24th minute of the match, Manchester United launched a counterattack. Neymar dribbled inside and then passed to the middle. Bruno Fernandes followed up and diagonally passed to the left. Rashford, who had surged into the box from the ribs, shot the ball, which deflected off Chelsea's defender Thiago Silva's leg. The ball bounced high and flew directly towards Gao Nuo. Gao Nuo jumped up and struck the ball into the bottom corner of the goal with a volley, extending Manchester United's lead to two goals.
In the 39th minute of the match, Chelsea's Enzo Fernández and Kai Havertz played a continuous one-two. Enzo Fernández, who had pushed forward near the penalty area, spread the play. Sterling, on the left wing, broke into the box and calmly slotted the ball past De Gea, allowing Chelsea to pull one goal back.
In the second minute of first-half injury time, Chelsea took a tactical corner from the right. Right winger Fofana faked past Luke Shaw and crossed from the corner of the box to the middle. In the scramble, Kante seized the opportunity and fired a disguised poke shot. De Gea didn't even react, and the ball went in, with Chelsea leveling the score.
Entering halftime, the 2:2 score of the first half was very exciting for the fans, and Gao Nuo's brace brought great joy to the live stream room in China.
Zhan Jun started the topic: "The first half of the match has ended, with both teams scoring 2 goals each. The game was very intense. Friends who stayed up late to watch the match today certainly got their money's worth. Zhang, let's talk about Gao Nuo scoring a brace in the first half, two goals. Could you analyze for the audience if there were any tactical adjustments for Manchester United today?"
Zhang, holding his notes, had been eager to speak and immediately said: "Hey, Gao Nuo's performance today was excellent. From the first half of the match, hey, Manchester United's tactics did have some changes. Chelsea played in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with sufficient defensive strength in the middle. Manchester United's two wings, hey, no longer cut inside to attack the goal. Instead, they cut to the middle and then spread the play, hey, relying on the fullbacks' overlapping runs and crosses from the byline to create threats."
Zhan Jun, fearing Zhang would get tired, interjected with two sentences: "So, were Gao Nuo's two goals also due to the change in tactics?"
Zhang took a breath and continued: "That's right, with this style of play, Gao Nuo in the middle will definitely get more opportunities. And I don't know if you noticed, hey, Gao Nuo's attacking desire is very strong today. He always appears in the right position. Both goals were 'poaching' in front of the goal. Hey, this isn't luck, this is a kind of predatory instinct in front of goal, a bit like Bayern's Thomas Müller."
Zhan Jun looked at the time and ended the topic: "Yes, thank you for your analysis, Zhang. We'll take a short break and then continue to commentate on the second half of the match for you."
The commentators rested, but the netizens were full of energy. The most frequent comments in the live stream's bullet chat were "Support Gao Nuo to achieve his first hat-trick."
Some fervent fans made a pledge: if Gao Nuo scored a hat-trick, they would wear his jersey to work tomorrow. Even some big fans generously stated that if Gao Nuo scored a hat-trick, they would donate 50,000 to a nearby football school.
Gao Nuo's number one loyal fan, Da Ai Gao Nuo, had successfully organized a "Gao Nuo Fan Club." Their group chat had 12 people, all girls, including self-media bloggers, fitness instructors, sports school students, office workers, etc. In short, they were all girls who loved sports. Unlike some fans who focused on looks, these girls truly understood football. They would analyze Gao Nuo's every performance, make videos of his highlight moments, which Da Ai Gao Nuo would post on TikTok, gaining a large number of followers while also contributing to Gao Nuo's popularity in China.
At this moment, the 12-person group chat was very lively.
Da Ai Gao Nuo: "Haha, I've already thought of the video title for tomorrow: 'Who's the best at poaching in front of goal? Look for Gao Nuo from Shandong, China!' How's that, sisters?"
Baimai Fitness: "Oh, come on, can we get something serious for our Gao Nuo?"
Little White Rabbit: "Exactly, exactly. He's on the verge of a hat-trick, and your title is just trash."
Refuse 996: "I'm never staying up late again. I'll be late for work tomorrow and my salary will be docked again. Gao Nuo must score another one in the second half, or I won't forgive him!"
I Also Love Gao Nuo: "Should be no problem. Gao Nuo's positioning is very good today, even more powerful."
Little White Rabbit: "How do you know if he's powerful or not?"
I Also Love Gao Nuo: "What, you want to try?"
Little White Rabbit: "I've interviewed him many times in my dreams."
Da Ai Gao Nuo sent an emoji with a black line over its head.
Baimai Fitness: "Little sisters, be serious, it's autumn now."
Refuse 996: "You all rein it in, it's the middle of the night."
Da Ai Gao Nuo: "Alright, let's watch the game. Go Gao Nuo!"
"Go!"
"Go!"
"Go!"
"Go!"
The somewhat suggestive chat ended, and the second half of the match began. The director understood football well, the camera constantly focused on Gao Nuo, this young man with black hair and yellow skin, who had the hope of achieving the first hat-trick of his career.